i have a Magellan GPS Companion for Palm M500 Series (MGPSC) and Palm Tungsten T3 (TT3).
the two work fine together with the TT3's screen in the collapsed/closed position, but the MGPSC's design (cradle-type) is not long enough to allow the TT3's screen to be extended without releasing the latches on the back that hold the two together.
i found that with navigation programs like mapopolis, you REALLY want as large a screen as you can possibly get. furthermore, you occasionally need to be able to enter text - to enter an address or whatever - which i found next to impossible without expanding the TT3 to expose the grafiti area.
so i opened the case of the MGPSC only to find that there was nothing but airspace inside the plastic case where the top of the TT3 would go if it could. there is a cylindrical antenna inside the housing, but it is up near the very top of the unit, not even close to where the TT3 wants to be.
so i used a small grinding wheel attached to an electric drill to grind away the bits of the case that were in the way. a dremel would also work well for this task. i was able to grind away enough plastic to allow the MGPSC and TT3 to work perfectly together without compromising the structural integrity. i put a small piece of plastic (not really necessary) in place over the small hole that resulted from the grinding and covered it with some black electrical tape. the result is barely noticeable when the cradle is empty and almost can't be seen at all when the TT3 is extended in the cradle.
tips:
opening the case of the MGPSC is not totally necessary for this.
if you do want to open the case, just remove the two small phillips screws, then snap apart the top and bottom. i opened it, but i did not bother to figure out how to completely separate the two halves. i left them connected at the bottom, near where the connector that plugs into the palm. with the two halves of the case separated, you can slip a piece of paper in between. this will help keep plastic dust out of the main part of the case while you are grinding/sanding.
of course, no mods to the TT3 are required for this.
my plan: use the MGPSC cradle, cigarette lighter adaptor, some kind of dash-mount, and either mapopolis or tomtom software to provide a make-shift in-car nav system, while still leaving the TT3 available for other general tasks. side benefit: the MGPSC also charges the TT3 when plugged into a 12V source.
comments/questions/suggestions welcome.
the two work fine together with the TT3's screen in the collapsed/closed position, but the MGPSC's design (cradle-type) is not long enough to allow the TT3's screen to be extended without releasing the latches on the back that hold the two together.
i found that with navigation programs like mapopolis, you REALLY want as large a screen as you can possibly get. furthermore, you occasionally need to be able to enter text - to enter an address or whatever - which i found next to impossible without expanding the TT3 to expose the grafiti area.
so i opened the case of the MGPSC only to find that there was nothing but airspace inside the plastic case where the top of the TT3 would go if it could. there is a cylindrical antenna inside the housing, but it is up near the very top of the unit, not even close to where the TT3 wants to be.
so i used a small grinding wheel attached to an electric drill to grind away the bits of the case that were in the way. a dremel would also work well for this task. i was able to grind away enough plastic to allow the MGPSC and TT3 to work perfectly together without compromising the structural integrity. i put a small piece of plastic (not really necessary) in place over the small hole that resulted from the grinding and covered it with some black electrical tape. the result is barely noticeable when the cradle is empty and almost can't be seen at all when the TT3 is extended in the cradle.
tips:
opening the case of the MGPSC is not totally necessary for this.
if you do want to open the case, just remove the two small phillips screws, then snap apart the top and bottom. i opened it, but i did not bother to figure out how to completely separate the two halves. i left them connected at the bottom, near where the connector that plugs into the palm. with the two halves of the case separated, you can slip a piece of paper in between. this will help keep plastic dust out of the main part of the case while you are grinding/sanding.
of course, no mods to the TT3 are required for this.
my plan: use the MGPSC cradle, cigarette lighter adaptor, some kind of dash-mount, and either mapopolis or tomtom software to provide a make-shift in-car nav system, while still leaving the TT3 available for other general tasks. side benefit: the MGPSC also charges the TT3 when plugged into a 12V source.
comments/questions/suggestions welcome.